After successfully surviving my first week at UNCC without 1) getting wasted, 2) getting locked out, or 3) getting lost, I think that I might just share my first week experiences with the rest of the freshie population. So here you go, 6 things I learned about the first week of college.

6.) Learn everything there is to learn about your new appliances before you move in.

After having an episode with an exploding can of soda (Cheerwine fireworks all over the fridge plus destroying a perfectly good can of soda = sad face),  I’m pretty sure its a good idea to look at the instruction manual for the fridge and microwave ahead of time so that you won’t forget to read it in the carnage that is move-in weekend. As soon as you crack the box open, get to reading the instructions and note the important facts (like wattage and cubic feet) that could be info that you and your school need to know. Stash them in a safe place and you’re sure to avoid another microwave burrito-bomb in the future :D.

5.) Walking is your life. Get used to it.

Unless you are one of the extremely blessed people that have the privilege of owning a car (and being able to pay the parking fees), then walking and the campus shuttle/city bus are usually your only modes of transportation to and from class and other important locations.  If your campus is medium to large in size, its best to get a map and plan your routes to class accordingly. Sometimes it’s even helped me to time how long it takes to walk from my dorm to my morning class so that I can wake up with ample time to get ready, eat, etc. And if you happen to live on a with hills or running/biking trails, use the opportunity as a way to get fit and avoid the dreaded  “Freshman 15.”

4.) Use your resources.

If your first week of college is like mine, you’ll be bombarded with information about clubs, meetings, job opportunities, internships, graduation requirements and most likely much more. Don’t look at it as just a lot of useless junk; take a close look at what is offered to you. Not only will you score a lot of cool freebies (planners, food and drink, coupons, key rings that you will need – refer to no. 3, etc.), but it will put you in the know when you or one of your friends need something on campus, and it will give you a chance to give back by signing up for things like tutoring and college tours.

3.) For goodness sake, get a freaking keyring.

Is there anything more frightening that the thought of being locked out of your room in a bath towel just after taking a shower? No, I think not. There are a lot of options when it comes to keeping up with your room key and ID card. Check you campus bookstore for school-spirited lanyards and wallets specifically made for keeping the ID visible while hiding important stuff (usually these come with a key ring or a zipper pull to stash the keys) or ask you ID office if its okay to hole punch one end of the card to put on a keyring.

2.) Find someplace to study other than the dorms.

I know its tempting to just stay inside with a “DO NOT DISTURB – STUDY TIME” sign on the door knob but trust me, there are things that go one inside dorms that are completely outside your control. In promptu fire drills, the sirens sounding across the street, and maybe even school activities can easily distract you from your school work. Pack up your books and supplies and start your search. Your best bet is the library, but if it seems to crowded, you can always find a quiet spot outside, in your student union, maybe even in an academic building. But be warned: bringing your laptop is not advised, because Facebook is just too oh so distracting.

1.) Find ways to meet new people.

If there is just one, solitary thing that I have learned in the last days of being here at school, it is that getting to know a variety of people is crucial to grow as a person. I have met people here in the last week that I would have never met otherwise and have really help me have a wider, more educated view of the world. So don’t be afraid to say hi to someone; prop your dorm room door open and greet all your hall mates. Go to scheduled campus events and find something to talk about other that the weather. A key to being successful not only in college but in life is to network and be good with people.

So that is my little summary of the main themes of my first week of school. Is there anything you want to add or comment on? Let me know in the comments :D.

I really love blogging. I want to share what happens in my life with people all over the world…but as you can see, I don’t get a lot of page views or comments. So, I was thinking that I should do a big overhaul of this site.

Its still in the brainstorming stage, but I have a few ideas. I want this blog to be informational, first of all. I want people to learn something new not only about me and my life, but learn something about themselves and their lives. I want this blog to be useful, especially for people my age. I’m thinking that it could be sort of a diary/what I learned thing. That means I’d have to step up with the writing/journalism skills and also research a bit more. I don’t mind that though.

I’m not going to rename the site, but its purpose will be different. That means the view is going to change a bit in order to appeal to a different crowd. Right now, the site looks kind of like a tween’s bedroom, and its got to be more mature. Sure, it may alienate some, but it will bring in even more.

I’m still planning things out, and I may try test the waters with the current blog, but I’m still undecided.

Later lovelies.

Ahhh. So on Thursday me and the fam went down to Charlotte to visit campus for some financial aid information, and it made me think. In a few short weeks, my entire life will change. For the last 18 long years, I have lived a pretty home-bodied lifestyle. Sure, I hung out with friends occasionally; however, compared with the rest of my peers, I was pretty sheltered. I’m now venturing into a world that I know absolutely nothing about. A big college campus in a new place where I know like 6 people. It seems like it should be overwhelming…but its not so bad. I really excited about going and meeting new people and learning… and having a lot of fun .

Like I said, yesterday we went on a mini road trip to my future home to learn more about the various financial aid options. We didn’t stay long; we got all our questions answered (the best they could anyway – they haven’t finalized tutition yet) and then we left. I took pictures in the car (because I’m a ham )

They’re crappy cell phone pics because my cam was dead .

I got my housing assignment when we got back. I’m staying in a highrise, but as of right now I don’t have a roommate, because she canceled her application. That’s okay though, they’ll probably reassign another roommate for me.

After I got done with that, I went to a baseball game with Barbara, and had an awesome time . We won 11 to 10, though the last few innings were pretty tight. We ate and bought overpriced gift shop items and acted like total high school kids for (probably) the last time .

So now I’m gonna get off and continue my dorm room necessities list. My mom is insisting on me making one so I won’t forget anything.

Talk to ya later, dearies.

It was snowing. Then it was hot. Now its raining.

I am thankful for the invention of the flu shot.

Anyways, anybody who’s visited the blog in the past week has probably  noticed that it look pretty wonky. I had a problem with the CSS, but I fixed it. As well as I could, anyway. It still looks funky in IE, but I’m one of the FF junkies who thinks everyone should ditch IE anyway . I switched to FF like 6 months ago and I can’t use IE anymore without my computer going nuts.

I took a few pics of my new Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet, and I must say that I am very satisfied with it . Its  a 5×7, and though the surface are isn’t that big, it’s still very useful and accurate. I paid $99 dollars for it, and it was worth every penny . [/endshamelessplug]

So I’m off to go work on my senior project research paper…it’s due on Tuesday, and it has to be 2400 words (and I only have 1200 ). Hope you guys have a good weekend .

Buh-bye now!

It’s that hot.I am not exaggerating. It is 8:14pm and its 80 degrees. Fun, huh ?

Well I’ve got my windows open and everything so the room smells like the good ‘ol outdoors, and the fan’s running too. So its not that bad.

So I have homework to do, so I’ll keep this short; I made some more icons:

Rules on the contact page, credits on the credit page – I mean, you get the idea, right?

See ya!

P.S.: Oh yeah, new layout.